Send Me Down a Miracle

by Han Nolan

Overview

Things used to be normal in Casper, Alabama. Charity Pittman was a regular fourteen-year-old, the perfect daughter, following in her preacher father's footsteps. But then Adrienne arrived, with her big-city ways and artsy ideas. Reverend Pittman thinks she's the devil incarnate. Charity thinks she's amazing.
But no one knows what to think of Adrienne when she claims she's seen Jesus.
In the heartening and humorous book that made the National Book Award shortlist, Han Nolan visits a small town that's praying for a miracle but heading for disaster.
Reader's guide and an interview with the author included.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780152046804
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/01/2003
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	276
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.00(h) x 0.75(d)
Lexile:	960L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 15 Years

About the Author

HAN NOLAN is the author of several books, including Dancing on the Edge which won the National Book Award and Send Me Down a Miracle, a National Book Award finalist. She lives with her husband on the East Coast.

Reading Group Guide

1. What is the purpose of Adrienne's sensory deprivation project? Why does it disturb the townspeople?

2. What qualities does Charity admire in Adrienne?

3. Why does Reverend Pittman want to destroy the chair? Why does Charity want to save it?

4. Each character has a different reason for believing in the chair. Why does Sharalee believe in it? Why does Mad Joe? Boo? Charity?

5. How does Charity feel about her mother's absence?

6. Many characters in this book are faced with the choice of running away or staying and fighting. Does Charity make the same choice in every situation? Why or why not?

7. When Adrienne asks what good came of her visions, Charity tells her "None, I reckon." Do you think any good came of the visions?

Copyright (c) 2003. Published in the U.S. by Harcourt, Inc.

Editorial Reviews

"Hilarious."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Thought-provoking."—School Library Journal (starred review)

"The plot is intricate, sharp, and invigorating."—Booklist (starred review)
—

From the Publisher

Gr 6-8Charity Pittman is attracted to the strange woman who moves into the small Alabama town where she, her sister Grace, and their preacher father live. Adrienne Dabney, an artist from New York, wants to try a deprivation experiment in her inherited home, despite the minister's objections. She proceeds, locking herself up in her house without light, visitors, or food. Three weeks later, Adrienne emerges to say that she has seen Jesus sitting in a chair in her living room, and soon a religious turmoil splits the town in half. Charity's father insists that the woman is evil incarnate. Charity believes in the chair and its powers so deeply that she defiantly stands up to her stern, stubborn father when he comes to destroy it. The dichotomy of professing one's faith and actually living it is interestingly portrayed throughout this novel. Nolan blends realistic beliefs and actions into an intimate depiction of a small Southern town's personality. The essence of this story evolves gradually, drawing readers into the mind and heart of a young girl who must learn to meld her religious upbringing with her ability to understand and forgive others. The southern dialect might deter some readers, but all in all, this is a commendable, thought-provoking choice.Jana R. Fine, Clearwater Public Library System, FL

School Library Journal

An apparent miracle stands tiny Casper, Alabama, on its ear in this busy, hilarious, tragic story from the author of If I Should Die Before I Wake (1994).

Charity Pittman's father is a preacher, and she fully intends to follow in his footsteps until she meets Adrienne Dabney. This New York City artist has moved into a boarded-up house for a month of meditation; at the end of the month, Adrienne emerges with stunning news: three times Jesus Christ sat in a chair and brought her visions. Despite Reverend Pittman's purple-faced anger, awestruck townsfolk quickly line up to see the chair and offer prayers; there's even talk of a Second Coming. Nolan's country characters are not—quite—caricatures, and one's habit of blasting away at the ground with a shotgun, or another's prayer-bolstered resolve to lose 25 pounds, often masks profound hurts or needs. In the wake of a church service that is both intense and—because Charity accidently wears her musical Christmas socks—sidesplitting, the story takes a horrifying turn. Readers will be dizzied by the multiple subplots and roller-coaster highs and lows in this portrait of a small town that is anything but quiet.

Kirkus Reviews